Inspiring TV shows?

I love to watch all shows related to obesity. Having been obese since I was 3 years old, it's a subject close to my heart. I enjoy learning more about the causes and effects of our severe obesity and understanding the stories of others. I enjoy supersize vs superskinny, secret eaters, extreme weightloss, my 600 pound life, Fat Doctor, I Used to be Fat, and pretty much any documentary on the subject. It's helped me examine my own obesity, lifestyle, habits, struggles, excuses, etc and yes, gaining this understanding has made a positive impact for me. I especially draw a lot of inspiration when I see people fatter than me really killing it in a workout!

It's so interesting to me how people can be SO different regarding this. The shows really bug me, and upset me. I was overweight starting around age 6 and obese to morbidly obese from about ages 16-36 and I was never in denial about that. But I don't feel like I can relate to many of the stories shared and I am really upset and bothered by what I usually view as a very one-sided approach to showing someone's life and personality. It makes me sickened and sad, even when "well done".

I love to watch all shows related to obesity. Having been obese since I was 3 years old, it's a subject close to my heart. I enjoy learning more about the causes and effects of our severe obesity and understanding the stories of others. I enjoy supersize vs superskinny, secret eaters, extreme weightloss, my 600 pound life, Fat Doctor, I Used to be Fat, and pretty much any documentary on the subject. It's helped me examine my own obesity, lifestyle, habits, struggles, excuses, etc and yes, gaining this understanding has made a positive impact for me. I especially draw a lot of inspiration when I see people fatter than me really killing it in a workout!

It's so interesting to me how people can be SO different regarding this. The shows really bug me, and upset me. I was overweight starting around age 6 and obese to morbidly obese from about ages 16-36 and I was never in denial about that. But I don't feel like I can relate to many of the stories shared and I am really upset and bothered by what I usually view as a very one-sided approach to showing someone's life and personality. It makes me sickened and sad, even when "well done".

I'm the same.. these shows tend to overdramatize everything. I am sure some people went through real life struggles that nudged them into this direction (including myself) but what I put in my mouth was all me. I hate how many have this victim mentality and "victory through hardship" and all other kinds of drama, not to mention the one sided view of people's personalities and what really is happening (the producers' view that is).

I'm not a victim, and I'm also not a hero for losing weight. I'm simply a person who has let herself go (regardless of the triggers) and decided to get back on track. No overdramatization or glorifying. I don't need to walk into a room full of people clapping for my weight loss accomplishments and hugging me with tears of joy.

I get what you are saying. I used to think I was the same way as you. I just got so fat because I was being lazy and all I needed to do was eat less and move more... yet I was continually making effort and failing. It was like banging my head against a wall. Watching shows like the ones I listed helped me to be HONEST with myself.. Seeing people who were 600 pounds and claiming to only eat a salad and chicken breast was kind of eyeopening because I was a bit in denial about my own diet though on a much smaller scale. Conversely, I was also tempted at times to blame my diet completely and say, OH, I'm just a big fat pig and eat too much because I really like food.. Sorry but, nobody gets to 360 pounds simply because they simply enjoy food and putting the spotlight on others helped me see things in them that I could recognize for the first time in myself. Once I was able to really lay everything out for myself, I was able to begin addressing issues.. and oh WOW, I was a like perfect storm of obesity. My super-morbid obesity had many causes: Mental, environmental AND physical but ALL of these were still my responsibility to address. They may not have been all my FAULT, but it was still my responsibility to fix it.